Willowfrost's Destiny: Twisted Fate
by Splashpaw
Summary: Willowkit wasn't the evil cat she is now. She was once an innocent kit, with dreams and hopes of her own. However, all that changed when her mother rejected her for a mistake that ruined her sister's face, she was blamed for a wrong she hadn't done, and was exiled from the Clan. Courtesy of jayfeather12345. Oneshot. Rated T for violence.


**A/N: Hi guys! I've got a new story for you all, coutesy of jayfeather12345.  
**

** "A kit treated badly grows up evil, but a ********kit treated well grows up good**."

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Never have, never will :(**

**Before you read, a note of priority to the people who inspired me to write this. The writing is my own, but was inspired by:**

**-Blossombird (who inspired the personality of the elders for me in her story The Darkest of Hearts)**

**-jayfeather12345(for inspiring the story altogether, so thanks :D)**

**-littleflower54276408(for some of the names in here)**

**-Phoenix Oblivion(for those dark endings in your chapters, because this story really needed an outline.. Don't hate me)  
**

**-Reminiscent Lullaby(for Willowkit's peace in death- from Trapped In Ice)**

**-Rainy Daze Writer(for the warning Mistyspirit was giving Willowkit, ;)**

**If I missed one of you guys, please tell me, it's really hard to remember all these names(which I should have written down.. so sue me.) xD  
**

* * *

"Why don't you four go play outside the nursery, and let me take a nap for a bit?" Streamfrost asked. "You've been bouncing all over the nursery since sunrise."

"But it's cold outside," Willowkit argued. "Stormpaw said that his mentor's training them to sweating point so they don't freeze."

Tigerkit nodded in agreement. "And I'm sick so I can't go out." Petalkit blinked.

"Freezefoot said he shouldn't go out unless it's warm-until he gets better,anyway," she reported to her mother.

"Stormpaw was only made an apprentice a few days ago," Streamfrost replied to Willowkit. "As you will too, in a half-moon- as well. Besides," she bent to lick down a tuft of fur on Willowkit's head, "do you believe everything Stormpaw says?"

"Uhh-" Tigerkit nodded.

Nightkit shrugged. "I'll go and check for myself." Petalkit nodded. "Can I go visit Sparrowflight?"

"That's right," Streamfrost purred. "Go and see for yourself. Willowkit, go with Nightkit. It might be cold but I wouldn't send you out if it was as cold as Stormpaw says."

Willowkit sniffed. "Okay then." She raced out of the den to catch up with Nightpaw. Her sister was trailing towards the elders' den. Tigerkit stayed where he was, informing Streamfrost that he was too sick to go outside while Petalkit wandered off some place to find Sparrowflight.

"Hey wait up!" she called. Nightkit glanced at her from across the clearing. "I'm only going to the elders' den." Willowkit halted, her heart sinking.

"Why do you want to go there?"

"Well, I just wanted to go see if they have any stories," Nightkit started.

"I want to see the rest of the camp," Willowkit grumbled.

"But what about Streamfrost?"

"She didn't say not to explore the camp-" Willowkit stopped in mid-sentence as she spotted the medicine cat out of his den. "Actually, it's fine. Let's sneak up on his den." She gestured with her tail. Nightkit rolled her eyes.

"Fine. It'd better not get us in trouble," she said.

"It probably will, but you don't have to come," Willowkit snapped, letting her temper flare. Nightkit glared at her. "I'll come, but you have to stay when we listen to them tell stories."

"Really, Nightkit? You don't actually believe their nursery tales!" Willowkit scoffed.

Nightkit shuffled her paws. "No, but their stories are interesting to listen to."

Willowkit rolled her eyes. "Isn't it cold Nightkit?" she snapped. "Oh yeah it's freezing I need the elders to make it warm."

"Shut up" Nightkit spat."You're just jealous because they don't like you."

"That's a lie," Willowpaw pointed out. "And you know it. If you want to think it then you may."

**Flashback:**

_"They've opened their eyes!"_

_Willowkit jumped at the sound of her father, Stormfang's voice. Streamfrost's eyes clouded with confusion._

_"Yes dear," she replied . "But the others opened their eyes ages ago. Willowkit was late is all." Stormang shrugged, his excitement beginning to fade. "I think they'll make great warriors, don't you?"_

_"Of course they will," Streamfrost murmured as she gazed at her kits with adoration. "Our kits are the best kits in all of the Northern Clans."_

**A Day's Time Skip:**

"Nightkit, Petalkit, come over here!" Willowkit called from across the clearing. "Stormpaw and Skypaw are fighting!"

Nightkit and Petalkit bounded over to their sister round-eyed. "What?! Where?"

The two gray apprentices slowly padded over to the two young kits. "We're not fighting," Skypaw mewed. "We're just practising."

"Can we train too?" Nightkit asked. Petalkit's interest had obviously faded. "You two can. I'm going to see Sparrowflight." With those words she bounded off in the direction of the medicine den.

"Well-l-l-l…" Stormpaw paused. "I guess that wouldn't matter, if we kept to the little moves."

"Keep your claws sheathed though," Skypaw added. "We don't want you to make the same mistake we did."

"Why what did you do?"

Skypaw glanced at Stormpaw for a moment, then shook her head. "Sorry. Secret," Skypaw said.

"Well hurry up and show us a move!" Willowkit meowed impatiently. Stormpaw nodded to his sister.

"We'll stick to this move for now, okay?" he asked. "We can't steal your apprenticeship, from you, can we?"

Willowkit rolled her eyes at Nightkit. "Of course you can't,"she meowed. "We just want to learn _one_."

Stormkit shrugged. "That shouldn't hurt," he said. "Sure we'll show you a move."

"Let's show them the move that we just barely were able to get right on first try. It's the hardest one there is."

"Okay," Skypaw mewed. "Their mentors will probably think it was a lucky guess."

"Like you?" Nightkit asked.

"Yep," she replied. "Like me."

"Well hurry up and show me then. We don't have all day," Willowkit snapped. Skypaw snorted. "Why, do you already know the move?"

"No, but it's boring sitting here." Stormpaw exchanged a quick glance with his sister. "The first thing you should learn is patience," he replied.

Willowkit nodded. "Yeah show me please," she grumbled. Stormpaw shrugged. "Come on," he meowed.

"Well, Nightkit, since you are so patient you get to learn first," Stormpaw mewed.

Willowkit watched in annoyance as the two apprentices backed away and showed Nightkit their move.

"Why are you doing it with her? I was the one who asked," she complained as Skypaw rolled beneath Stormpaw, and pulled his legs out from under him.

"Fine come here," was Stormpaw's only reply.

"Nightkit, show your sister what you've learned," he meowed. "Actually, do it to her but with your claws sheathed. She could have watched me and Skypaw but she was too busy playing or something.

"Okay, you leap at her," Skypaw instructed. Nightkit leaped at Willowkit and tried to bowl her over; Willowkit stared at her, panicked and ducked underneath her, rolling frantically away so she didn't get squashed.

Nightkit scrabbled at the ground as she hit it hard. Willowkit felt Nightkit's paw hit her and then something hot and sticky was welling up in the cut.

"What was that for," she spat, and gave an angry hit at Nightkit's face with claws unsheathed. Nightpaw squealed in pain and Willowkit stared at her. "I'm sorry!"

"No stop it,"Stormpaw mewed. "Nightkit are you ok?" The gray tabby gave a groan and sat up.

"You should go back to your mother now" Skypaw mewed uneasily. "Maybe this training was just a bad idea."

* * *

"But look at your poor face!" Streamfrost wailed. "It's okay," Nightkit mewed. "We were both fighting."

"This is unacceptable," Streamfrost insisted. Then she whipped around to glare at Willowkit. "This is all your fault!" she hissed. "If you hadn't lost your temper Nightkit's face wouldn't be all scarred like this."

"It's not scarred yet," Willowkit argued. Streamfrost hissed softy. "But it will scar. You never should have fought in the first place. There is a reason kits wait until they are six months old." Tigerkit nodded, staring at his sisters with round eyes.

"I told her I was sorry!" Willowkit protested. Streamfrost cuffed her around the head.

"You did it to get her back tell me how sorry that is?!" she hissed.

Nightkit peeked at Willowkit who stared angrily at her in return. "Isn't that funny, Nightkit, to see her mad at me?" she wanted to say but decided not to, her mother would find a bigger excuse against her.

"I guess she could accept your apologies if you get me something from the medicine cat den to get something to stop infection."

"Marigold or horsetail," Petalkit added. Streamfrost purred at her kit. "Well done. You'll make a wonderful medicine cat." Petalkit looked flattered at her mother's praise. Tigerkit looked away. "Did you hear her? Marigold and horsetail!" Streamfrost snapped. "Now go!" Willowkit turned and stalked off, tail down and dragging through the dirt.

**A/N: I know, Streamfrost acts like Rainflower, but I need this to happen for the plot line.**

She peeked inside the den to see if any cat was there. Obviously Freezefoot was out. And she was almost certain that Streamfrost would be furious if she failed to bring back the horsatail or maregold or whatever Petalkit called it.

_A medicine cat, _she thought scornfully,_ who wants to be a medicine cat? _I_ want to be warrior, and I'll be the best warrior IceClan has ever seen._

"Oh hello Willowkit," Freezefoot's surprised mew jerked her away from her thoughts. "I thought you were Petalkit."

"Well, I'm not Petalkit," she meowed rather snappishly, "and I don't want to be a medicine cat either. Streamfrost wants maretail for Nightkit's face, because she has a little cut," Willowkit grumbled her voice dripping with sarcasm, " and I don't want to stay here all day so please get me some so I can be out of here."

"Maretail? Oh, you mean marigold." Freezefoot's puzzled expression turned to amusement. "I'm glad you're not my apprentice. You'd mess up everything I taught you."

"I'm glad that I'm not your apprentice too," she mewed testily, mimicking Streamfrost's irritated mew before returning to her own. "I did ask for that stuff. Streamfrost will be furious if I don't bring it right now."

"Well, okay then," Freezefoot mewed, her amusement still showing as he padded to the back of his den to pick out the herbs she "needed" for Nightkit. Willowkit snorted as he dug in the store of herbs. Why did everyone find her so amusing? Or hate her suddenly?

"Here you are," Freezefoot announced, disturbing her from her thoughts. She stomped over to the bundle and picked it up. "Thanks" she managed to say before padding out of the den.

Willowkit hurried back to the nursery, not wanting to face her mother but knowing she would be worse off if she left somewhere else. She dropped the bundle of marigold at Streamfrost's paws. "Here," she mumbled.

Instead of thanking her, Streamfrost just stared at Willowkit through narrowed eyes. "Well? Aren't you going to put it on?"

Petalkit nosed her mother gently. "_I_ want to Mama, please, let me do it! _I'm_ going to be the medicine cat." Streamfrost paused, then gave a slight jerk of her head. "Of course." She faced Willowkit.

"If I ever catch you doing something like that again to your Clanmates or littermates, you'll get something much much worse than a cuff around the head. Got that?" Willowkit hastily nodded her head. "Good,now get out of my sight!" The last words were hissed slowly and she was staring at Willowkit as though she were a badger trying to kill her kits instead of a kit who had misbehaved. Willowkit didn't take time to nod; instead she fled the nursery, wishing there were a cat who actually liked her enough to keep her company.

_Dream on,_ she thought as she padded out of the den. _No one in this Clan likes me. I'd better learn to live with it. Streamfrost was the only cat that liked me besides my littermates, now Streamfrost hates me for "messing with" Nightkit's face, and she'll probably order my littermates to stop playing with me as well. _Willowkit slowed her pace after she was a couple of fox-lengths away from the nursery. _Oh well__, maybe I'll check out the apprentice den, since that's where I'll be moving next.  
_

She took another step before realizing she only knew for sure where the medicine cat's den and elders' den were besides the nursery. It would be better if she asked someone, if only she knew someone who wouldn't nip her ears off for asking. She felt stupid, having been here for four moons and not knowing where the dens where.

"What about Freezefoot?" she asked aloud.

"She went out to find herbs." Breath stirred her ear fur and she turned around in surprise, wondering who else besides the medicine cat would want to talk to an "annoying kit" like herself. It was the deputy, Iciclefang.

"Oh." Her heart sunk. Iciclefang would never understand her if she told her she wanted to explore the dens. "Thanks."

"What do you want to ask him?" she asked dangerously. Willowkit swallowed. "Erm- nothing. I just wanted to know which d-den I'll be moving to next, that's all," she gulped. The deputy shrugged.

"I'm busy right now, kit," she snapped. "Go ask some other cat. I'm the deputy, and I don't have time to show kits the apprentice den. Besides, you still have two moons to go. You have plenty of time to figure out which den is which. Not that you've already had time..." she ended with a smirk. "Four moons in fact. I'm sorry, Willowkit, I really don't respect the youngsters much" she turned from Willowkit and strutted off, tail held high. Willowkit sighed.

"I knew she'd never understand me," she whispered as she stretched and plodded off to the elders' den, the only den she knew of. "And they won't be able to run away from me," she added half-humoredly.

"On second thought," she hesitated, "they're probably too busy sleeping to care, and I think I should bring some prey just in case since I have nowhere else to go besides the medicine den, where I don't want to, so I'll have to settle for Nightkit's elder friends or nothing."

She made up her mind, slowly plodded back across the clearing towards the fresh-kill pile, and picked up a plump, juicy-looking bird that had been just caught that morning. Skypaw padded toward her and she felt her spirits rise for a moment- before she remembered what had happen that morning. If she judged by Streamfrost's attitude towards her, Skypaw wouldn't be very excited to see her, especially if Streamfrost had told her not to play or talk with her. But she wasn't judging by Streamfrost's attitude.

"Hi,Skypaw," she mumbled. Skypaw rolled her eyes.

"Hi, Willowkit." She glanced at the prey Willowkit had picked up to bring to the elders. "Hey I caught that stupid dove Willowkit and I didn't say you could have it." She took a few strides forward and reached Willowkit and snatched the bird from her.

"I'm wasn't going to have it," Willowkit defended herself. "I was going to feed the elders with it."

Skypaw snorted. "Well, I still caught it, and I didn't say you could feed the stupid elders with it. It was supposed to be for me and Stormpaw. Besides," she added, less snooty now, "Streamfrost said not to talk or do anything with you. Sorry," she apologised, not sounding very sorry, then promptly shut her mouth.

Willowkit felt her shoulders slump. Why was everyone giving her the cold shoulder all of a sudden? She hadn't purposely used her claws, and besides, Nightkit had used her claws too and Streamfrost hadn't even noticed.

_That's because she likes Nightkit better than me. She always has_, she thought sadly.

"Oh, and I'm not supposed to talk to you, but even if you were going to feed the elders, Streamfrost said to come back to the den now. She said it's getting close to your bedtime and you need your sleep," Skypaw meowed. A little more gently she added. "She might let you off tomorrow. I think she's starting to calm down over Nightkit's face because she said you're allowed to sleep in your own nest tonight," Skypaw ended, giving Willowkit a little friendly smile. Willowkit shrugged.

"Okay," she mewed."I'm coming."

She retraced her pawsteps back towards the nursery. Her heart was heavy as she entered the den. What did Skypaw mean by saying she was allowed to sleep in her own nest tonight? And why was Skypaw forbidden to talk to Willowkit?

"Oh, hello," Streamfrost meowed using the same tone she had been using since Willowkit hit Nightkit that afternoon. "Listen.. I wanted to let you know, since I uh- ah- overreacted a little after Nightkit's accident, you could have your own nest tonight."

She was using a cheerful tone now- but Willowkit could tell it was fake. "No!"

"Why not, Willowkit?" Streamfrost asked in her false cheerful tone. "It's brave to sleep all by yourself."

Willowkit wanted to yell back at Streamfrost that if it was so brave, why didn't she give Petalkit and Tigerkit and Nightkit a nest of their own. But her mother would only make excuses. That Tigerkit couldn't sleep alone because he was sick and if he needed her, she might not know until it was too late. And that Petalkit was far too small and delicate to sleep all by herself and that Nightkit had to stay in Streamfrost's nest because she had a cut on her face and she needed her mother's comfort.

_What about me?_ she wanted to wail all the way to StarClan. _I need a mother's comfort too! _Aloud she mewed, "I didn't think of that before. Alright, I will." She paused, as if thinking about it. "Which is mine?"

"That one," Streamfrost mewed, pointing with her tail to a nest half-way across the den. She seemed relieved that Willowkit wasn't complaining anymore.

"Thanks," Willowkit meowed, walking across the den to where Streamfrost was pointing. She curled up in her new nest, closed her eyes, and thought of the tragedies that had happened already until her mind was drawn into the sweet embryo of sleep.

* * *

Willowkit awoke the next morning to find sunlight streaming into the was a change for once. Usually in leaf-bare it was cloudy and cold. She stretched and lay down again, wondering whether Streamfrost had changed her mind about her sleeping in her own nest or whether she was still giving her their backs. Once they had talked too her, but Nightkit had hit her and she hit her back and suddenly she was wronged.

"Wake up my sweet little kits," Streamfrost's mew sounded a few fox-lengths away. She craned her neck to see Streamfrost nudging her kits to their paws and telling them what a wonderful day it was today. Perhaps her mother had changed her mind about treating her coldly. But then she remembered that Streamfrost had told her to get out of her nest and yelled at her for Nightkit's injury, and she realised her mother who once loved her would not change her mind.

"Hello mother," she mewed blankly struggling to her paws.

"Hello, Willowkit," Streamfrost meowed stiffly with her false cheerfulness. Willowkit nodded hoping her mother didn't notice her crestfallen expression and padded towards the entrance. She stared across the clearing, searching it for her littermates.

"Your littermates are over there by the fresh-kill pile," Streamfrost mewed curtly. "You can join them if you like. Just leave the den today because it's a wonderful day and you should be playing outside in the sunshine."

"Sure," Willowkit nodded hastily. "I just was thinking about that." Wanting to mend things with her mother even though the chances were slim, she added, "Do you want something to eat?"

"No thank you," Streamfrost replied. "Petalkit said when she was done eating she would bring me something, and I'm not going to disappoint her."

_But you want to disappoint me even after I apologised to Nightkit,_ she mewed silently. "Oh okay then," she said pretending to be surprised and walked in the opposite direction of Streamfrost to join her littermates.

".. And I caught a mouse and it was as big as Tigerkit.." Stormpaw was bragging to Nightkit.

"That's not true!" scoffed Nightkit. "It's too cold in leaf-bare to catch a mouse that size."

"I never said I caught a mouse that big Nightkit," Stormpaw meowed.

"Whatever, but you weren't old enough to catch anything last leaf-fall," Petalkit pointed out. "Even Streamfrost doesn't tell lies like that."

"I never knew she told lies like that," Stormpaw mewed, still bragging. Nightkit smirked. "Oh yeah well she doesn't tell that many lies." Willowkit interrupted her.

"Pretty much all she does is exaggerate," she mewed. Stormpaw shrugged."Morning Willowkit," he meowed politely, though not very warmly. Nightkit and Petalkit sniffed.

"It's true even though.." Willowkit stopped. She didn't want to take her littermates' joy away just because Streamfrost was giving her back to her. "Erm" she corrected herself, "I was going to exaggeration point, she's a really good mother."

"We're leaving," Petalkit mewed. Stormpaw nodded.

"Yeah, I need to go train before my mentor gets mad.. uh.. hope you don't mind.. bye now!" The two cats raced off, Stormpaw to the training hollow and Petalkit to the medicine den.

"You're nice to say that, considering her attitude yesterday," Nightkit piped up. Willowkit stared at her. "You were watching her and you didn't defend me?" she exclaimed. Nightkit tipped her head to one side. "I just got hurt, I think you hit me harder than you meant to," she mumbled not meeting Willowkit's gaze.

"Can't you even say you're sorry? She still hurts you know," Willowkit grumbled. Nightkit sighed deeply, as if this were a horrible task to be doing. "I'm sorry Willowkit. I didn't mean to hurt you," she mewed.

"Sure," Willowkit said to herself. "Thanks," she managed to say. "Um.. Can you play with me?"

"Sorry Willowkit," she mewed. "I'm still ..uh.. doing something really important right now."

"What's the something really important?"

"Uh, everyone left so.. uh.. I have to finish my meal," she mewed.

"Can't I join you?" Willowkit asked.

"Maybe another time because I haven't eaten more than a couple of bites yet," she replied quickly. Willowkit didn't bother mentioning that she hadn't eaten since last night.

"You always say that but you never let me," she pointed out.

"Yeah thanks," Nightkit replied. "Listen Willowkit I'm sorry for hurting you the other day but it's not my fault Streamfrost's being so cold to you. Okay?"

"Well could we be friends again?" Willowkit asked ignoring what Nightkit had just said. "You can have your mouse. I'm not really hungry," she lied.

"I'm sorry about yesterday,"Nightkit mewed eventually.

"It's nothing," Willowkit lied. "I'm sure you didn't mean it and I'm certain Streamfrost will get over your face sometime,"she mewed happily. The last part was a lie, she knew Streamfrost would hold it against her for the rest of her life for breaking the perfection Streamfrost had been teaching them.

"Hey um.." Nightkit pushed away the remains of the mouse. "I don't know if you changed your mind or not, but do you mind if I go over to the elders' den. You don't have to come if you don't want to," she finished rather hastily.

"No- no, I'll go with you," Willowkit replied. She was lonely enough to want to go with her sister, even if it mean listening to the elders' stories with her sister who though there was nothing more exciting than that.

**A/N: I know this part was awkward, but I swear, I wrote this at 1:25 am and my brain was asleep then so don't judge me harshly for this part until the next part when I was wide awake after my oversleeping.. time skip  
**

* * *

A moon later, Nightkit and Willowkit were sitting in the elders' den listening to Tangleshade tell a story.

".. 'Before the wild boar could stop himself he went hurtling off a cliff. Fleetfoot leaped in after him in the torrent of the river below. She found him thrashing around and wrapped her paws around his back, pinning him under the water until she thought she would burst for want of air'," Tanglefrost meowed ending her sentence with a bout of coughing. " 'As the sun rose over the gorge, Fleetfoot and Rage washed up on the edge of the river. Rage was dead.' Don't ask me why Fleetfoot didn't die too," Tanglefrost said, coughing violently. "It's just part of the story. Now, where was I? Oh yes. 'Fleetfoot stumbled to her paws dripping wet and trying to catch her she saw something that scared her enough to want to run up a tree. Standing only a tree-length away from where she stood, there was an even bigger, fiercer, terrible beast who rarely left ther den, as Shadestar and Goldenstar knew. This she boar was called Fury'."

"Does Fleetfoot die now?" Willowkit asked, twitching her ears. Tanglefrost's and Snowblaze's denmate, Dewclaw flicked her ear with his tail.

"Well Willowkit, you'll just have to listen to the story, won't you?" he asked pointedly. Nightkit bounced impatiently. "Come _on!_"

"Okay Nightkit no need to be rude," Snowblaze replied, irritated. "I think I can tell the rest of the story instead."

Tanglefrost shrugged. "I'm open to tell it. 'Fleetfoot and Fury fought on the river for two days and two nights. They were both terribly exhausted, but luckily Fleetfoot still had her wits about her. When the exhausted she-boar came at her, she rolled out of the way just in time and managed to shove her off the edge of the cliff into the gorge. The boar drowned in the river.' And that," finished Tanglefrost, "is how LeopardClan won the river."

"Thanks," Willowkit mewed. Snowblaze rolled her eyes. "She's here to tell stories and you're here to pick out ticks and fleas out of our fur-"

"It's no problem," Tanglefrost replied with a swift glance at Snowblaze. "It's been a while since I told a story."

"Well, thank you anyway," Willowkit replied. Nightkit nodded. "Yeah, thanks," she mewed before leaving the den. Willowkit hesitated. "Do you want anything to eat?" she asked.

"If you feel like running off to the fresh-kill pile, of course!" Dewclaw snapped.

"Pay no attention to his attitude Willowkit" Tangleshade mewed. "He's just grumpy because her fleas."

"I can take them out if you want when I come back," Willowkit answered, feeling a compassion for the elders she had never felt before.

"Then go," Dewfur snapped. Willowkit shrugged. _At least Tanglefrost likes me,_ she thought as she padded away.

"Here is your mouse," Willowkit said bowing to Dewfur in mock respect. Dewfur stared at her through narrowed eyes. "Aren't you going to take care of my fleas?" he asked her. With a sigh, she padded over to the ungrateful elder to find the fleas embedded in his pelt.

* * *

Willowkit curled up in her nest. Her mother had just finished talking to them, now she listened absent-minded to Petalkit babbling on about a herb that helped reduce pain and some other herb used to help reduce fever. Tigerkit and Nightkit were hogging her mother's nest. She sighed and closed her eyes.

_One more moon and one day, you're getting there Willowkit, you're getting there._

**A/N: Time skip a.. night(?) before their apprentice ceremony(at night. I know I just said it, but to make it clear):  
**

Willowkit padded into the den. Her fur was untidy and messy from playing in the dirt, but for once she didn't mind.

"Mama, Freezefoot says I'm good at learning herbs!"Petalkit mewed excitedly.

"Really dear?" Streamfrost asked warmly. "That's wonderful!"

"Yes well I am a good learner," Petalkit mewed modestly. " Maybe she'll let me be her apprentice?

"Mama, mama, guess what I did today," squealed Tigerkit. Streamfrost turned her attention to her kit. "Yes Tigerkit tell me what you did today?" she asked.

"When Nightkit was sleeping I snucked up on her," he boasted. Streamfrost purred. "That's amazing dear," she purred.

"You don't say snucked up you say sneaked up" piped up Nightkit.

"Hello," a new voice greeted Streamfrost and her three kits. Willowkit recognised that voice as Freezefoot's. Petalkit shut her mouth, having apparently forgotten what she was going to say.

"Streamfrost," she greeted her mother curtly. "I'd like to speak to you about 'something'.. alone." Streamfrost's eyes widened. "Is it important?

"Well, yes," Freezefoot answered. "And I'd like to talk to you.. now, please," she said glancing at the kits who were bouncing around Streamfrost while Petalkit stared stupidly at Freezefoot as if she lost her tongue. At last Streamfrost shrugged. "Fine, medicine cat," she meowed, flicking her tail impatiently. "Kits, go along and listen to the elders tell a story to you. Freezefoot and I won't be long." Willowkit could just glimpse her mother's scrunched face and frozen expression through the brambles.

"We want to stay," whined all three kits. "Pleeeeease?"

"Go, right this instant," hissed Streamfrost. The only time Willowkit had heard her this angry was at Willowkit herself. The kits had obviously noticed her angry tone and left. "Alright what is it?" her mother hissed

"Well, I saw how you treated Willowkit before her accident with Nightkit," she stated. "It seemed to be a good way. But after Willowkit had Nightkit's face scarred, you shunned her out of your nest, while letting the others sleep with you. I see you every day, blaming her for every little thing that happens. Treating her like a rival rather than your own kits. Stormfang does the same foolish thing now."

"She deserves it," Streamfrost hissed.

"Scarring Nightkit's face a tiny little bit does nothing to cause you to shun her as you do now," Freezefoot responded dryly. "And Nightkit got her face too! Don't you think you should treat her as you do the others?"She fixed Streamfrost with her icy stare.

"She doesn't behave like the others. She's more violent," Streamfrost faltered at the last words. Freezefoot prodded her sharply with a paw.

"You know she's not. Did your parents treat you like that when you hurt your brother? Did they? Think about it Streamfrost," she growled. "Now goodbye." She walked calmly out of the den as if nothing had happened, leaving Streamfrost flustered and groping for an answer.

Willowkit closed her eyes, and was dragged into sleep and dreamed.

...

She dreamed that she was standing at the edge of a dark clearing, and yet there was no wrong feeling about it.

"Willowkit," a voice meowed from behind her. She whipped around, her fur rising slightly."Er.. who are you?"

"Well." The cat narrowed her eyes. "I suppose a kit only six moons old wouldn't know about the old warrior of PineClan, would she?"

"PineClan?" she repeated, trying to hide anything that would give away her suspicions. What's PineClan? _Where do they live?_ The she-cat rolled her eyes. "Oh, no!" she gasped, flinching back a little. "I came from PineClan. I must want to destroy all of IceClan!"

Willowkit shrugged. "Well, I heard the elders earlier today and they said at the last Gathering Hawkstorm was acting like his leader was going to do something terrible and attack."

"Hawkstorm was the last leader's deputy and SnowClan's current leader," she snapped, her mouth unmoving. "SnowClan was not then what it is now. And I didn't come to talk about the past. I came to tell you a message. StarClan told me to visit you." She sniffed. "Though it seems like a big waste of time.." She leaned in closer. "StarClan says not to let your emotions control you, or you will destroy IceClan's legacy."

"What could I do that would destroy their legacy?" Willowkit scoffed.

"They told me not to tell you too much," the foggy warrior responded. "They said that if you let your emotions control you you... it's not a nice thing. But the message they wanted me to give you, Willowkit, should be clear. Don't let your emotions control your behaviour."

Willowkit opened her mouth to say something, but the StarClan cat was blurring, and before she began a word, she had gone, and Willowkit's dream faded into shadows and fog.

"Heed my warning," her voice warned. "Even a small move into wrong could lead to harm."

**Time Skip to the ceremony(I'm sorry!):**

"Wake up," Streamfrost's voice brought Willowkit to her senses even though her mother wasn't talking to her. She was used to not sleeping with her mother now, but she still longed for Streamfrost's warmth while she slept next to her- or used to. Now her mother treated her as an rival rather than her own kit. She was beginning to realise even Nightkit had been playing less and less with her now. Maybe she didn't want to be yelled at by Streamfrost. Or maybe she thought Willowkit unworthy of her attention by now.

Willowkit snuck a glance at her mother who was waking her other three littermates for a moment. She thought her mother looked slightly disappointed to find that her kit was still alive and breathing and waking up at her voice, in fact more than anything she looked like she wished Willowkit was dead; however she kept her thoughts to herself. Instead she crept out of the den to find, to her disappointment, that it was snowing heavily. She took a piece of fresh-kill, flattened herself to the ground beside a bramble bush beside the den, and squeezed underneath the bush to eat her food in shelter from the snow and to be away from Streamfrost's coldness. She could still see them through the thorns.

"Let all cats gather in the clearing for a Clan meeting," yowled Frozenstar.

"Cut it out," Tigerkit mewed to his mother while Willowkit watched jealously from her sitting place. She would do almost anything to have her fur washed by her mother- even if it was only a small moment, it would be enough. Nightkit spotted her expression and gave her a friendly lick on the cheek. "You'll be fine," she mewed. Willowkit gave her a nod of gratitude.

"Come on," Streamfrost mewed once she had finished grooming Tigerkit's pelt. "Go on my kits and receive your apprentice names," she whispered with a little pride in her voice but hardened as her gaze fell upon Willowkit, who immediately followed her littermates.

"Tigerkit, Nightkit and Willowpaw," he meowed. "From this moment on until you receive your warrior names you shall be known as Tigerpaw, Nightpaw, and Willowpaw. Leopardspirit, Blackstorm, and Iciclefang.."

Oh. Oh StarClan no. She couldn't be apprenticed to the Clan leader's deputy. She hated Willowpaw! Willowpaw slowly touched noses with Iciclefang, who didn't look any more excited to have her apprenticed to her than Willowpaw was.

"..I know you all will pass on your.. erm.. skills to these three apprentices," Frozenstar seemed satisfied with his words "And I hope you will pass on your skills to them. Freezefoot , Petalkit is willling to learn the skills of a medicine cat; do you decline or accept?"

"I accept,"Freezefoot replied without hesitation.

"IceClan's next medicine cat will be Petalkit. Petalkit," he continued, "from this day on until you recieve your full medicine cat name you will be known as Petalpaw. The Clan meeting is at an end," Frozenstar finshed. The cats began to leave the clearing.

Willowpaw stayed where she was, but her new mentor had not left her. "Oh no Willowpaw you can't possibly think I'd leave you _untrained_ do you?" she asked sounding rather irritated.

* * *

Willowpaw shivered as she plodded on through the snow. As a kit, she had always taken the warmth of the camp for granted. Now, walking through the snow, she wished she were back in her nest with Streamfrost before the accident with Nightpaw.

"I know you're cold," Iciclefang had said to her that morning, "but it's something you'll have to get used to. In IceClan it only starts to warm slightly in newleaf, stays greenleaf for a few days, then turns back into its icy world again as leaf-fall begins."

"Willowpaw," Iciclefang's voice droned on. Willowpaw glanced at her and the she-cat went on, "since it's leaf-bare I think it would be a good idea to teach you how to catch prey."

"Like what kind of prey?" Willowpaw asked. She hadn't seen anything besides the snow and bare trees since they had started walking.

"Any kind of prey," Iciclefang snapped. "Say a bird, for instance. How would you catch one?"

"Find one and sneak up on it and kill it?"

"In the greenleaf that would work well," Iciclefang meowed a little approvingly, nodding to her. "Not with all this snow -"

"The snow will muffle my pawsteps now, my way should work fine"

"Fine then Willowpaw if you are so much smarter than I despite being younger, why don't you go along, use your tactic and catch a bird?" she growled and sat down in the snow.

"Aren't you you going to show me how?" Willowpaw asked. Iciclefang shrugged. "I thought you knew how to catch one. Now scram!" she snarled.

_Mousebrain,_ Willowpaw thought._ Iciclefang was right I'll never learn to catch birds or anything __because I was too excited. _She stiffened at the sound of something in the snow and looked around. A small brown was snuffling around, apparently looking for food. Willowpaw dropped down into a sloppy hunters' crouch, which actually wouldn't have qualified as a crouch at all, and started creeping up on it. The sound of her paws scratching on the snow in that eerie way unnerved her, but she kept drawing herself forward, muscle by muscle.

"Don't go after it Willowpaw" she heard Iciclefang meow. "It's too far out on the ice. Your weight could bring it down! The ice is too thin!" just as Willowpaw took another step forward.

_Cruuuunnnch._

Big mistake.

Willowpaw barely had a heartbeat to see the vole dart off and realise what she had fallen into before her two back feet had sunken into deep snow. Before she knew what had happened, her hind paws had slipped into icy water. She scrabbled frantically on the ice which she had assumed was snow. Her paws were digging into the ice to keep her hold. She could see Iciclefang staring down at her like it was an accident, but she could tell from her expression that her mentor was furious.

"What did I tell you?!" she yelled at her. "I know you heardd me tell you not to follow the vole and you ignored me."

Wilowpaw scrabbled at the ice, trying desperately to haul herself back up, but her weight was dragging her down and the icy cold water was making her dizzy, threatening to make her give in to its current.

"Well?"Iciclefang demanded. "I want to know you apologise for disobeying me."

"I'm sorry Iciclefang I didn't mean to" whined Willowpaw as she thrashed her hind paws in the current at the same time trying to haul herself up onto the ice.

"You're going to tire yourself out like that," Iciclefang pointed out.

_Well aren't you the smart one,_ Willowpaw wanted to say but decided better of it. Iciclefang would never help her if she made fun of her. "I didn't mean to not listen to you it was a mistake," she insisted. "Please will you get me out Iciclefang I'll never disobey you again," she bagged.

Iciclefang rolled her eyes and padded over to her. "You certainly are stuck," she observed. Reluctantly she reached her neck out and gripped Willowpaw's scruff with her front teeth. Willowpaw gripped the ice in front of her.

"Yank yourself up on three, ready? One- two- three-_ pull_!" Iciclefang hissed; Willowpaw pulled herself towards Iciclefang, while her mentor dragged her up onto the bank.

"Sorry, Iciclefang."

"Alright, now listen to me when I say stop, and _don't_ let me have to speak to you about it again," Iciclefang mewed harshly. "Now see that snow over there? It's dry. Go roll in it. It'll help you dry faster. " Willowpaw obeyed.

"Maybe this will teach you not to disobey me again," she smirked at the last sentence as Willowpaw managed to shake off the rest of the water.

"Now, I assume you wanted to catch a vole?"

"Aren't-" Willowpaw cut herself off, finishing instead with a slight dip of her head. "Whatever you say."

"I don't understand why Frozenstar chose you as my apprentice," Iciclefang complained. "You're supposed to do as you're told. To catch a vole you must-"

"You have to find it first" Willowpaw couldn't help pointing out.

"I'm giving you how you catch one," Iciclefang meowed irratably "Not how you find one." Willowpaw shrugged.

"Okay."

"You pounce on it after two or three paces," Iciclefang meowed. "In this snow it's hard to sneak up on it. Like you did." She took as swift glance at the water that was bubbling in the hole Willowpaw had made. "Oh and where you fell was the river. Stay away from it. Anyway you jump on it. She bunched up her muscles and sprang. Willowpaw admired her gracefulness and watched the deputy as she landed in a patch of snow nearby.

"Like that," she panted. "We should probably head back. I'd train you better, but you're mostly soaked and we don't need you to get sick. The last thing the Clan needs is sickness."

"Fine," Willowpaw replied without an argument. She wasn't in for practice anyway- at the moment anyways.

**A/N: This is boring.. time skip**

* * *

"Hi Snowblaze," she mewed, padding into the elders' den with a twig and mouse-bile.

"Oh dear, Willowpaw, what do you need?" the elder asked with false irritation.

"Iciclefang sent me to clean the dens," she grunted.

"Why?" Tanglefrost's voice asked, clearly shocked. "You've only been an apprentice for a day. What did you do?" Amusement flashed in her blue eyes. "You didn't hit Nightpaw again did you?"

"no nothing like that I didn't listen to her and I fell in the creek" she mumbled. "She said this might help."

"You didn't," she gasped.

"Oh yes I did I stepped on the ice and Iciclefang had to get me out," Willowpaw mewed. "Does any of you have ticks?"

"I have a few in my rear," Dewclaw grumbled

"You're supposed to look for them yourself, you know," Skypaw's voice shocked her out of her senses.

"Oh Skypaw you're not here to tease me are you?" she asked picking up the twig.

"No, but Freezefoot wants you to come see her. He says he heard something about you falling in the creek and Petalkit told me to go fetch you," Skypaw meowed.

Willowpaw glanced at the elders. "I have to.."

"I'll take care of it," Skypaw answered, giving her a shove. "Freezefoot wants to check you. The elders can wait." She walked out of the den. Willowpaw flashed Snowblaze a questioning look.

"Go," Tanglefrost meowed. Dewclaw was less enthusiastic. "I'm sure our ticks will still be here" he grumbled. Snowblaze shrugged. "Go on," she meowed gently. "Dewclaw doesn't really mean it. He's old, he has earned the right."

Willowpaw shrugged and dropped the twig. "Do you want anything else when I come back?"

"Get Dewclaw some fresh-kill," Tanglefrost meowed. "It's sure to take the dirty taste out of his mouth. He didn't like his last piece." She blinkend. "Snowblaze will eat his leftovers as for me I'd like some young apprentice"- she winked at Willowpaw -"To come back here. Now go along!" she scolded playfully.

Willowpaw purred. "You bet I'll do it," she giggled as she padded out of the den.

She padded across the clearing, nearly hitting a pine as she entered the medicine den. "Freezefoot?" she asked.

".. marigold is good for preventing infection... Oh, hi, Willowpaw!" Petalpaw cut her reciting off to greetings her sister. "Freezefoot wants to check you for cold. I don't know why though."

"Iciclefang says she fell through the ice." Freezefoot's voice answered her. "I want to make sure you don't get sick."

"I'm fine!" Willowpaw complained.

"You're not fine until I say you are," Freezefoot replied calmly. "Over here please." Willowpaw shrugged and padded over to her. Freezefoot's breath smelled like dried herbs. "I'm here," she mewed sarcastically.

Freezefoot sniffed her over, and she wriggled impatiently as she examined her.

"Can I go now?" she asked. Freezefoot finished her examination and nodded.

"Just don't fall into any more lakes. You were lucky," she mewed.

"Thank y-"

"Is she okay, Freezefoot?" Willowpaw recognised the voice as her mother's and turned to look at her.

"She's fine," Freezefoot said. Willowpaw thought Streamfrost looked disappointed that her kit was not suffering from a cold or fever or in danger but she hid her disappointment with a wide grin.

"Hello Willowkit" her mother mewed. "I'm glad you're not sick."

_Liar_.

Freezefoot glanced at them. "I'm going to get some feverfew from the storage. Petalpaw, you sort those herbs." She left the den, squeezing into one beside it that was formed by a fallen pine tree.

"I'm Willowpaw, _mother_, didn't you watch me get named?" Willowpaw asked.

"But.. You're not a little kit anymore.." Streamfrost was faking it. Willowpaw could tell despite the slight smile on her face.

"Yeah you're right," Willowpaw grumbled. "I need to go."

"Yes you do," Streamfrost replied. "Go along Willowpaw ."

"Thank you," Willowpaw growled sarcastically. "I'm off. Good bye for now."

**~Two moons later- the Gathering~**

".Streamfrost...Freezefoot,Tigerpaw, Blackstorm, .. Leopardspirit, Nightpaw, Iciclefang, and Willowpaw you come to the Gathering tonight," Frozenstar finished.

* * *

Willowpaw followed her littermates into the abandoned, half-roofed- Twoleg nest. Frozenstar said the reason they met here was because in leaf-bare it was too cold to meet anywhere else.

"Do you think you'll like anyone?" Nightpaw's orange eyes were wide as she stared in Willowpaw's face.

"Do you?" she answered, considering Nightpaw's question.

"I think so, if they're like the Clan," Nightpaw's voice betrayed her excitement. Tigerpaw interrupted them. "They're from SnowClan! Frozenstar said they're rivals this time, you know, in leaf-bare."

"Why?" Nightpaw asked. "They live here like any other cat."

"Blackstorm says we're lucky they live as a Clan. He says that when he was a rogue, he knew a group of cats who attacked others and murdered the cats to feast on them because there's not enough prey up there," Tigerpaw answered.

"Really?That's really gross." Willowpaw shuddered.

"I know, so don't get comfortable."

"You didn't have to tell us,"Nightpaw muttered

"My mate went looking out there to see them once," a SnowClan cat beside her commented. Her voice was low and barely audible. "He said this was hearsay..he went to see if it was true.. he never came back. SnowClan found his body a few fox-lengths outside the border and.. and.." She swallowed hard. "He looked like he had been mauled. Not just killed, mauled."

"That's sick," Willowpaw meowed. The SnowClan she-cat nodded, her eyes filling with sadness again. "I imagine he's in StarClan waiting for me.."

"Are you going to sit here all night?" Tigerpaw's eyes were wide with excitement. "This is our chance to meet SnowClan before battle?"

Blackstorm stiffened. "This is the full moon. The time of peace between the Clans. He walked away without stopping to make sure Tigerpaw didn't say something or do something to cause a fight.

"Willowpaw?"

Willowpaw turned around with a start. "Yeah?"

"Frostpaw asked me if I wanted to come walk around with her, is it okay with you?" Nightpaw asked. She was fidgeting and changing from foot to foot.

"Uhh.." Willowpaw glanced at her. "Sure."

"Thanks!" Her sister's tail curled up high in the air and she raced over to a fluffy gray she-cat. Willowpaw sighed and stared into the back of the den. No cat she saw paid any attention to her. There must be something wrong with her..

"Hi!"

The sound of a cat's voice made her jump. She whipped around, her claws unsheathed. The cat who had spoken was a gray tabby . His mouth was twisted slightly and there was a long scratch running down his cheek that kept going until it reached his shoulder.

"Um, hi," she mewed. "You're from SnowClan aren't you?"

"I'm obviously not from IceClan," he replied.

"No, do I look like an idiot to you?" she responded. He paused; Willowpaw felt annoyance run down her spine.

At last he spoke. "What's your name?"

"I'm Willowpaw. Yours?"

"None of your business," he responded, "but it's Thistlepaw. Why do I care about a mouse-brain like you?"

"Well, it's none of-"

"Let the Northern Clans gather beneath StarClan!"

Hawkstar's voice drowned out her reply, and she hurried over to where the other Clan cats were already gathered where the roof of the nest had fallen inward.

"There's not much news for SnowClan.. except that one of our warriors is dead," Hawkstar reported. At this one sentence, argument broke out.

"He didn't just die!"

"He was murdered!"

"Even Hawkstar saw his body! It was _mauled_!"

"He should know!"

"Quiet!" Hawkstar glared around the cats. "As your Clan leader, I have the authority to tell you what to do! SILENCE!" he snarled. "That is all SnowClan has to report," he finished.

"What happened to Breezestar?" Iciclefang called out.

"Yes," what happened to him?" Leopardspirit asked.

"He.. died," Hawkstar said. "There was..erm.. a fox attack. Frozenstar, do you have any news?" he finished sadly. Willowpaw glanced at Thistlepaw, but he didn't say anything to her.

"IceClan has four new apprentices. Nightpaw, Tigerpaw,Petalpaw and Willowpaw. Petalpaw is apprenticed to Freezefoot."

"Anything else?" Hawkstar asked.

"Nothing."

Willowpaw stifled a snort.

"The Gathering is at an end," Hawkstar declared. "We're going now."

"But-!" Hollyberry began. Hawkstar cut his medicine cat off. "It's too cold to stay any longer. We're going now."

"Hawkstar's right." Frozenstar nodded. "It's too cold to stay here. Maybe the next Gathering will be warmer." He raised his voice. "IceClan! We're going home!"

"May StarClan light our paths," Hawkstar meowed.

* * *

"Come with me," Iciclefang meowed two sunrises after the Gathering. "Nightpaw said you need to work on your hunting crouch at the Gathering, and I think she's right. You have a problem when you're hunting."

"Why is my hunting crouch any of Nightpaw's business?" she hissed in annoyance.

"It's _my_ business. You've been training for two moons and you still can't do your hunting crouch right. If other cats are noticing how bad your crouch is, you're in desperate need of training."

"Whatever," Willowpaw mewed. "If we're going to work on my crouch, could we do it now? You said you would train me this afternoon."

"Another day of waiting won't hurt," Iciclefang replied. "Besides,you're not going to die if you don't battle-train right away."

"I guess not," she agreed unhappily. "When are we practising then?"

"We'll practise with Tigerpaw and Nightpaw," Iciclefang meowed.

Willowpaw rolled her eyes. "Are they going to take all day?"

"They should be here any minute now," Iciclefang insisted. "Blackstorm's sick though. He sent Frozenfang to take his place."

"I hate Frozenfang," Willowpaw hissed."He's such a know-it-all!"

"Yes," Tigerpaw's voice shocked her as he emerged from the dead pines, "but he won't thank you for telling the Clan deputy that he is." Leopardspirit followed.

"He's coming with Nightpaw," she meowed.

"Oh great," Willowpaw said, trying to sound excited.

Just then, Frozenfang and Nightpaw padded in through the barrier.

"Sorry for taking so long," Frozenfang meowed. Nightpaw nodded to Willowpaw.

"I'm sorry about this hunting crouch stuff, but I thought you could use some work on it,"she started.

"Yeah, sure, smarty-paws! If you're so worried about me, why don't you stop reporting to the Clan what mistakes I do wrong! They already think I'm bad enough! Stop making it worse!" she exploded.

"Did you hear me?"

Both apprentices shook their heads. Frozenfang then made a big act as if they had scared away his prey instead of ignoring him.

"I said even the most experienced warrior needs to work on his or her huntimg crouch and keep working on it," he repeated with a heavy sigh.

"That's great," Nightpaw said sweetly. "I never knew that."**  
**

"Tigerpaw, Nightpaw, show me yours."

Tigerpaw dropped into his hunting crouch. Nightpaw did the same.

"Good," Iciclefang replied. "Willowpaw?"

Willowpaw dropped into a lopsided position. Iciclefang grimaced at her apprentice's poor crouch.

"You're leaning to far to one side," Frozenfang warned her. Willowpaw straightened herself up.

"That's way better," Frozenfang meowed.

"Thank you!" she hissed.

"Don't push her so hard," chided Leopardspirit. Iciclefang rolled her eyes and then nodded.

"Aim for those dead pine needlesright there." Willowpaw relaxed her muscles and leaped, nearly missing the dead pine needles.

"Bet she couldn't reach those brambles," Tigerpaw dared. Willowpaw shrugged.

"Who wants scratched paws anyway?" she snapped at him.

Tigerpaw shrugged and turned to mutter in his sister's ear how dumb Willowpaw was,while Willowpaw listened to Frozenfang and Iciclefang ranting on about the importance of how good a hunting crouch had to be..

**A/N: I hate to bother you, and yes it's really rushed, but there is going to be another time skip because if I kept writing every day of her life you'd be reading this forever.. you guessed it..time skip of three ****moons:**

_Six moons, six moons and I still haven't had any_ real_ battle training._ Willowpaw stormed across the clearing. Iciclefang only trained her for a few moments before she decided that Willowpaw could wait another day. Didn't she care about Willowpaw's warrior assessment?

_I'll never learn to do anything if she thinks I'm a waste of her time! I'll fail my assessment! Doesn't she care about training me?_ She scuffed the ground with her paws. "Too bad the other cats think I'm just a waste of their time as well," she muttered.

"Hi, Willowpaw!" Shredpaw meowed from behind her. "Guess what Blackstorm's teaching me!"

"Some amazing battle move?" she snapped sarcastically.

"How did you guess?"He bounced excitedly. "We're learning how to defeat an enemy you can't defeat using your strength!"

"That certainly would be great!" she meowed, faking her enthusiasm. "Do you know_ why_, Shredpaw?" she added menacingly, taking a step closer to him.

He shook his head, his eyes suddenly clouded with confusion at her sudden agression at the end. "Why?"

"Because, it would be wonderful to learn some _real _battle training!" She leaned into his face. "Don't you know how much I'd like that?" She snorted and stalked off. Shredpaw started after her but she cut him off. "Leave me alone," she growled.

"Hi, Willowpaw! You're in high need of some battle training," Iciclefang growled. "And you'd better master all the skills, too. Otherwise you will fail your warrior assessment," she snorted with laughter at the last words. "Come on, Willowpaw. You need to learn these moves even if it takes until you go to sleep, because if you fail I'm going to get in trouble for not training you."

"Whose fault is that?" Willowpaw wanted to snap back. But she held her tongue. Iciclefang would use it as an excuse to the Clan leader.

"Willowpaw's not training right," she'd complain to Frozenstar. "She's got no respect for her elders.. except the ones living in the den, apparently."

"Did you hear me, Willowpaw?" Iciclefang's growly mew brought her back to the present.

She flattened her ears in embarrassment. "No," she replied.

"I said, we're going to train with Blackstorm and Nightpaw. Do you ever pay attention to _anything_?" Iciclefang snapped.

* * *

"That's better," Willowpaw heard her mentor say approvingly. "You'll stand a chance in your assessment. One more go," she frowned, "and you can go take some fresh-kill to the elders."

Willowpaw sighed. Blackstorm and Nightpaw had long ago left the training clearing, much to Iciclefang's apparent relief. She focused on her target, let awareness spread through her whole body, and sprang at her mentor, who easily defeats her by pushing her to the side and pinning her down.

"Too easy," she growled. "You have to be _fast_, Willowpaw!" She released her apprentice. "I'm going to try it on you now. That doesn't change you being fast. Keep it up."

Willowpaw sighed. "Okay" she agreed. Iciclefang didn't give her much time to get ready; before Willowpaw finished her sentence she had hurled herself at the young she-cat. Willowpaw jumped, scrabbling frantically to get out of Iciclefang's grasp. Iciclefang landed where she had been a heartbeat before, her face in the dirt. Willowpaw jumped at her, raking her sheathed paws along her back. Iciclefang reared up on her hind legs; Willowpaw clumsily jumped off her back to avoid getting hurt

"Much better," Iciclefang mewed."One more move: the leap-and hold."

Willowpaw nodded. _One more move __and then I'm done, _she thought wearily.

"Spring onto your enemy's back and grip with your claws unsheathed. Now you are beyond the range of the enemy's paws and in position to inflict severe body wounds.," Iciclefang meowed. "Not unsheathed now!" she frowned as Willowpaw leaped onto her back. She swatted Willowpaw with her tail. Willowpaw jumped off impariently "This is practise. We don't want anyone hurt. You do it when you're fighting in battle. Watch for the counter-move I taught you earlier,the drop-and-roll."

Willowpaw hurled herself at the deputy's back, narrowly missing her paws as she swatted at her, digging her hind paws into her shoulder for balance and raking her paws across her mentor's back. Iciclefang dropped suddenly, and Willowpaw rolled off of her back, scuffing her paws into the ground as Iciclefang rolled onto her back, swiping Willowpaw's flank before she stood up.

"That's enough for now," she meowed. Willowpaw waited for her sarcasm, but none came. Only Iciclefang's ranting about how she could have made her move better.

"In the move before the drop-and-roll, you were too slow. You're too small to use your strength, so use your speed instead."

Willowpaw nodded. "Iciclefang, do you think I'll make my warrior assessment?"

"Willowpaw, your assessment is hunting. Of course you will," Iciclefang snapped, back to her usual snappy attitude.

Relieved, Willowpaw turned away and went racing through the undergrowth, her tail swaying behind her. So innocent, with no ideas of what her fate would be.

* * *

**~the next day(afternoon)~**

" '..when Shadestar found what Thorntooth had done, she flew into a rage. "That's Petalkit! You've stolen Goldenstar's only daughter!" she shrieked. Thorntooth ignored her and Shadestar called a Clan meeting that night to give Goldenstar his daughter back before LionClan could retaliate. Goldenstar insisted that TigerClan should be punished for Shadestar and her warrior's carelessness. Thorntiooth found the punishment unfair, but Swiftstar agreed and the matter was settled.'

'For a moon, TigerClan did not come out of the shadows during the day and came out during the night. At the next Gathering, the two other Clans were amazed to see that the TigerClan warriors' pelts were sliced through with jet-black stripes. Now TigerClan had something that separated them from the other Clans, and Thorntooth was .. content because now'" Snowblaze's mouth gaped in a yawn, "'now TigerClan was separated from the other Clans by their stripes.'"

Willowpaw's muscles ached as she struggled to her paws. "Thank you for the story, Snowblaze," she yawned.

Tanglefrost chuckled. "Snowblaze and I had an agreement that if she told the story instead of me, I would arrange you to get us some new, dry, bedding."

Willowpaw narrowed her eyes mischievously. "How do you know I'll get you some new bedding?"

"Because you are a cat who is respectful of her elders, and I know you are good and kind," Tanglefrost replied with a cough. "Now scram!" Willowpaw laughed quietly before running off to oblige the elder's request.

"What are you doing?" Shredpaw asked, cautiously padding over to her. She gritted his teeth. "You won't be teasing me like the others will?" she demanded rather harshly.

"Why would I?" he responded.

"Because I yelled at you yesterday," she growled.

"We're Clanmates," he reminded her. "We trust each other."

"If you must know, I'm cleaning the elders' den!" she snapped. "And since I answered your question, you answer mine: why do you follow me everywhere?"

"Um-no reason," he said quickly. "Er- gotta go, Willowpaw, I need to train."

Willowpaw snorted and walked into Sparrowflight's den. "Sparrowflight," she mewed. "I need some moss for the elders."

Petalpaw's voice answered her back. "He went out to look for juniper berries. The moss is over by the fallen pine."

"Thanks," Willowpaw replied. She grasped the moss between her teeth to carry it back to the elders' den,only to sink her teeth into a thorn. _ Great StarClan! If Sparrowflight keeps moss, why doe_s _he let thorns get into it?_

She paused in her walking and dropped the moss to sift through it for thorns. She found a tendril caught up in it, which she pulled out with great difficulty. Spitting the thorns out, she shoved them into the bramble bush and padded away with the moss.

Streamfrost's growl sounded behind her, and she looked behind her to see her mother.

"Where are you taking that?" Streamfrost hissed.

"Elders' den," she mewed, her voice muffled from the moss.

"Did they ask you?" Streamfrost snapped. "If they don't need it, you could replace my bedding. I would appreciate it. After all, I am your mother."

"Yes," Willowpaw growled. "Even though you're my mother, you haven't acted like one."

"I guess if you hadn't ruined Nightpaw's face, I might have, mistake," Streamfrost sneered before padding away from Willowpaw. Willowpaw hissed in anger and stormed back to the elders' den, trying to conceal her anger.

"What's wrong?" Snowblaze asked her. She shrugged.

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"Yes, and hedgehogs fly!" Tanglefrost's retort made her give in.

"It's Streamfrost," she replied. "She... erm, it doesn't matter just here is the moss" Willowpaw mewed finishing her moss-'cleaning'.

* * *

"What did you bring me here for?" Willowpaw growled.

The gray she-cat stared steadily at her. "Ask nicely."

"Can you tell me your name?"

"My name is Mistyspirit. I am the current Messenger," she mewed impatiently. "I wanted to remind you of what StarClan wanted me to tell you."

"What is a Messenger?" Willowpaw snapped. Hawkspirit rolled her eyes.

"It's too difficult to explain . To make it short I died as a kit. Happy now?" Her gray fur bristled with impatience. "I have all day really, but you don't, so I'll just remind you not to let your emotions choose your path." The fog around her began to fade as Willowpaw's dream blurred.

...

"Willowpaw!" Nightpaw's hiss sounded in her ears and she woke up to hear the birds chirping and rain .

"A hunting assessment in the rain?" she growled. "Seriously?"

"Blackstorm told me Iciclefang said it would be good practise," Nightpaw replied. "Besides,it won't hurt, will it?"

Willowpaw groaned and struggled to stand. "I guess hunting means no breakfast," she growled.

"We can eat something when we get back," Nightpaw assured her. "We won't be long."

"I guess not," Willowpaw lied, stretching.

"We'd better hurry. You know how Iciclefang gets sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep your fur on!" Willowpaw stumbled wearily out of the den.

* * *

"We'll all be watching you hunt," Leopardspirit mewed. "And you're not allowed to help each other. It's so we can assess how well you're doing. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Tigerpaw mewed.

"Remember, we'll be hiding where you can't see us but we can see you," Iciclefang mewed.

"We will," Tigerpaw insisted.

The three mentors nodded, and padded off into the pine forest. Willowpaw turned to Tigerpaw.

"What are you going to catch?" she asked excitedly.

"Nothing that concerns you," he responded rudely before charging off into the pine forest. Willowpaw Rolled her eyes and turned to Nightpaw.

"You?"

"We're not supposed to help each other," her sister replied pointedly. "Tigerpaw's right. It doesn't concern you." With a flick of her tail she stalked off into the forest

"Fine," Willowpaw snapped. Her sister had always been nice to her before. What had happened in four moons? She lifted her nose and sniffed the air. Nothing. Did Iciclefang really expect her to catch anything in this weather?

_I can't give up now,_ she thought. _Not when I'm so close to being a warrior!_

Willowpaw shrugged and inhaled the humid air. Iciclefang's voice echoed in her ears._ Think, Willowpaw, you're smart. What are your strengths, and what are.._

It had been the day before when Iciclefang had been cramming all the battle-moves into a single day in order to give Willowpaw the training she needed. Not hunting, but it caused Willowpaw to look around to find a place of the forest that could be of advantage to her..

There. A cluster of pine trees growing close together. They would have sheltered any plants trying to grow there. It must be where Sparrowflight got most of his herbs from.

Cold rain dripped onto her face and she flicked it off impatiently before stalking into the cluster of trees, being careful not to let her tail drag on the dirt. She inhaled deeply, trying to indefy the different scents in the rain- which was difficult; the rain blocked most of the scents.

She stalked towards the plants growing beside a pine tree. They had a scent that made her nose twitch. She sniffed the leaves slowly and pricked her ears; her nose wasn't helping her.

She waited, keeping still. If there was anything hiding in the plant's leaves, she wasn't going to be the one to scare it.

Just then a naked little tail poked from the leaves.

_A mouse? Perfect!_ She stepped forward, careful not to brush against or step on anything that would spoil her catch.

"Willowpaw!"

"Fox dung!" she exploded, turning around to face Shredpaw._ Fox dung! The first prey I've seen all morning, and this stupid furball has to scare it away_! "What in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing, Shredpaw?!" she snarled.

"You mean, what are you doing?" His tail bobbed cheerfully and Willowpaw fought the urge to claw it off his behind. "Tracking me down?"

"No, you stupid mouse-brained furball! I mean what do you think you're doing?!" Willowpaw snarled digging her claws into the ground in frustration.

"Well.. I was in a border patrol," Shredpaw mewed. "Then I scented you over here and I managed to cut behind them to come find you" he finished happily. "And I did."

"For your information Shredpaw I wasn't tracking you, I was doing a hunting assessment, my warrior assessment to be exact and you've just scared off the only piece of prey I've seen all morning," she snapped.

"Oh, sorry" Shredpaw mewed not sounding very sorry at all. "I didn't know." He was so annoying! Did he care about food at all?

"Now go!" she hissed at him. Shredpaw shrugged and charged off, splashing her with muddy water as he exited the shelter of the pines.

"Stupid furball," she muttered to herself. "He doesn't care that he might ruin someone else's assessment."

Willowpaw listened again, but any prey that had been out of their holes before Shredpaw had spoiled her chance to catch something was hiding in their holes now. She resisted the temptation to stomp off into the forest.

She padded out of the shelter of the pines_. So much for catchin_g that.

Willowpaw sniffed- knowing she wouldn't smell anything-but simply because she was angry. Of course she wouldn't catch anything with Shredpaw hanging around.

"Well, I'm not going to catch anything by blaming it all on Shredpaw," she growled to herself.

She pricked her ears. _I'm__ practically useless without my nose,_ she thought. _ I wonder why Iciclefang wanted us to hunt today. _

Willowpaw sat their for what seemed like forever in the rainy forest. It took so long she would probably have fallen asleep when she saw a vole -a mouse-tail length away- revealing itself and climbing out from the ground.

_StarClan grant it that that stupid furball Shredpaw won't come and ruin my chance, _she mewed silently. She held her tail still in midair, willing the vole not to notice her.

The vole glanced around as if surveying the area to check if there was any danger around. Her heart almost stopped as its little beady eyes rested on her for a moment. She almost thought at that moment it would immediately dart back into its hole, and jumped at it with her claws outstretched. The vole reacted a heartbeat too late as her claws ripped its throat. The kill was clumsy, but it would do.

"Iciclefang won't think so," she thought aloud.

"She might, if you do better during your partner assessment" An icy voice answered her.

Willowpaw turned to see her mentor standing behind her. "It's a messy kill, but if you do well during your patner assessment, I'll let it pass."

"Ok then," Willowpaw grimaced. Nightpaw exploded from the undergrowth.

"Willowpaw! Guess what I caught!" she meowed excitedly. Willowpaw acted like Nightpaw wasn't there for a moment before deciding it wasn't worth it.

"What?"

"I caught a squirrel! And a dove!"

"That's nice," Willowpaw mewed happily.

"As I recall, Nightpaw, you caught a pigeon, not a dove," Blackstorm's voice interrupted lightly.

"Whatever." Nightpaw rolled her eyes. "By the way did you see Tigerpaw? It's time for our partner hunting."

"He caught a little shrew," Leopardspirit mewed, jumping out from the fir tree. "I thought I taught him better than he did."

Tigerpaw flattened his ears in embarrassment. "I did better than she did! She was disrespecting her prey when she jumped like that at her vole. Even the catch was bad; she didn't even bother to make it neat!"

"I agree," Blackstorm mewed roughly. "She should show more respect for her prey."

"As do I," Leopardspirit mewed.

Iciclefang broke in. "I already told her about it, and we'll settle it later. Besides," she added, "last time I checked Tigerpaw, you were still an apprentice working on his warrior assessment, let alone Willowpaw's mentor."

"You'll be working with Whiteclaw," Iciclefang mewed. "But _please_ don't do anything to irritate him. I know it's young kits that annoy him, but I just wanted to tell you."

"Okay," Willowpaw meowed, eager to finish her assessment.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Iciclefang snapped harshly. "I was telling Tigerpaw, you stupid, useless,furball! You'll notice I wasn't finished talking to him before you so rudely interrupted." She turned to Nightpaw. "_Night_paw, you'll be working with my mate, Brambleshade," she meowed clearly, emphasisising the beginning of Nightpaw's name to make it clear of who she was talking to. "Willowpaw, Frozenfang will be helping you."

***time skip sponsored by lazy Splashpaw and (maybe)an impatient audience* **

"..What are you going to try to catch?" Frozenfang asked.

_This is it. They're assessing my ability to give orders_ and _catch prey, _Willowpaw thought_. I can't be an apprentice any longer._

"Willowpaw?" Frozenfang's voice yanked her out of her thoughts. "Are you paying attention?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, seriously," she mewed. Iciclefang rolled her eyes. "Willowpaw, did you hear a word Frozenfang said?"

Embarassed, Willowpaw shook her head. "No," she mumbled into her fur.

Frozenfang sighed. "I said, think of your strengths. Which ones will give you advantages in the hunting?"

"Shelter obviously. I can't do much in the rain," she snapped at him. Why did her partner have to be the most obnoxious cat in the Clan?

"You're right," he replied stiffly. "Apparently my training you did a bit of good after all. You wouldn't be good at all without me, would you?"

Willowpaw glared at him. "You shut up, you're not my mentor! If you have to be my partner, why don't you do something useful and go in those trees right over there. Blackbirds will usually nest there. You can stay there, and I'll scare one towards you."

"You have no right to talk to me like that," he hissed. "Apologies. I'm a warrior. You're an apprentice."

Iciclefang narrowed her eyes. "Frozenfang-"

"Actually," she flashed back at him, "It's my warrior assessment, so I get to tell you where to go."

Frozenfang's eyes narrowed as he nodded angrily. "Yes, apprentice," he mewed with obvious hostility in his voice. Iciclefang glared at him. "I don't like her anymore than you do, but I don't like being blamed. You'll do it now," she growled. "Unless you prefer I tell Frozenstar-"

"Fine," he growled hastily before stalking off to the pine trees

Willowpaw padded over into the shelter of the pines to find a blackbird and get her assessment over with. Excitement bubbled under her pelt as she realused how close to making a warrior she was.

_I'll show the Clan that I'm not as horrible as they think, _she whispered. _Especially you, Streamfrost and Stormfang_.

* * *

"Willowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Frozenstar glared at her, as if he were daring her to defy.

"I do," she meowed.

"Then from this moment on, you will be known as Wilowfrost." The leader rested his muzzle forcefully onto Willowfrost's head, and she licked his shoulder.

"Tigerstripe! Nightsky! Tigerstripe! Nightsky!" The Clan cheered the new names of her littermates, ignoring the she-cat known as the useless lump of fur they called their Clanmate.

She padded away from Frozenstar. None of the Clan seemed to care that she was a warrior or not. Not even Nightfang and Tigerstripe. She guessed that Nightpaw-Nightfang - was still angry at her for her sudden outburst.

"She and Shredpaw the only ones who actually care about me," she realised. "And I'm so hard in him all the time."She padded towards the barrier. Freezefoot's yowling made her stop in her tracks.

"Destiny...evil.. wise.. choice... fox-heart!... Don't you see?" Freezefoot's voice shrieked as Willowfrost passed the medicine cat's den. "Don't you see? You've doomed us all to destruction, and all this is because of your stupid choice of leaving Willowfrost like she has been!"

"Don't be mouse-brained." That was Stormfang's voice now, his voice thick with disgust. "How could a little lump of useless fur hurt us?"

"I warned you," Freezefoot snapped. "Before now. You should have listened, but you chose not to listen. All that happens now will be on your paws." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "I wish to be in here alone. Now leave me."

Willowfrost considered asking Freezefoot what she meant,but then she would have to admit she had been eavesdropping. She padded glumly to the elders' den, where she found Petalpaw staring at Tanglefrost, who was staring into space as if nothing existed, and Willowfrost remembered she hadn't been eating properly for a long time now.

"How is she?" she managed to whisper.

"Getting worse." Petalpaw didn't turn to look at her. "Willowpaw.. You have to accept that she's not going to be around much longer. It's time for her to join our ancestors."

Willowfrost's eyes widened. "She can't!"

"She's the oldest cat in the Clan," Petalpaw mewed sadly. "It's time. StarClan is calling her."

As Petalpaw finished her sentence, the elder drew in a ragged breath. Willowfrost waited for her to breathe again.

She never did.

"I'm sorry," Petalpaw meowed; for once allowing sympathy for her sister. "I know she was more of a mother to you than our mother ever was to you, even though you didn't visit her very often."

* * *

Willowfrost stretched and rose to her paws. Beside her, Tigerstripe was finishing his washing.

"Willowfrost.. I don't think you're much of a warrior. You almost fell asleep last night _and_ you were sad all through our vigil.

"Well aren't you a smart one?" she snarled. "If you don't like the elders that's fine but Tanglefrost was more like a mother to me than Streamfrost."

"Er, Willowfrost?" Shredpaw broke into their conversation.

"What?" she snapped.

"Can I tell you something..?"

"_WHAT_?" Wilowfrost exploded.

"Without them?" He flicked his tail towards Nightsky and Tigerstripe. Willowfrost narrowed her eyes.

"Is it even important?"

"It is very important.. To me."

"Just say it already!" Willowfrost watched him excitedly.

"I think I like you."

"So do I," Willowfrost murmured, embarrassed. Tigerstripe smirked and Shredpaw looked at his paws

"Sorry. Maybe this wasn't the right time.." He walked away, not bothering to try to meet her gaze.

Nightsky let out a hiss. "Willowfrost.. He really likes you.. Are you ok?"

She turned back to her sister. "I'm fine but Shredpaw really annoys me."

* * *

"Where's my kits?!" Willowfrost woke up to hear Streamfrost,her mother, give a panicked yowl. "She's probably throwing a fit for no reason," she thought. Even Willowfrost's father and her mother's mate, wasn't as horrible.

"Get up!" Stormfang's voice snarled. "Or do you like when kits go missing?"

Willowfrost got up sleepily after her father had left the den.

"Where-" she began to say to Stormclaw.

"Check the Great Pine. Now" He didn't wait for her reply. She obeyed him. Why would the kits be hiding in the Great Pine, anyway?"

...

She had only wandered a few steps out of the camp when she saw them.

Caught in the starlight, their fur ripped, her mother's three kits were on the forest floor, blood pouring out of them. Some animal must have caught them. Not even bothered to eat.. Maybe a badger? A fox? Even this early..?

"Willowfrost, what have you done?!" A shriek sounded behind her and she saw Tigerstripe standing there, his mouth opened in a horrified gasp

"It must have been a predator.. A fox..? A badger.." she voiced her thoughts. "I swear to StarClan, it wasn't me!"

Tigerstripe sniffed the air. "I don't smell any predators."

"I-I didn't do it-" He glared at her, but it was another cat who answered. She turned around to see Stormfang.

"No other cat was here. And the kits-" he pointed at Pinekit, whose mouth gaped wide in a scream and Icekit, who was gushing blood still, lastly at Mintkit, whose fur was ripped and scattered letting the blood pool around him- "were the perfect advantage to get back at Cloudynight for her cold shoulder towards you lately."

"But I didn't- they were dead when I found them!"

"Frozenstar shall hear of this," he hissed. "Tigerstripe, take her back."

* * *

"Willowfrost, you have violated the warrior code and broken your oath," Frozenstar meowed. "You must be punished. That is the Clan law."

"Did you kill them?" Streamfrost snarled, whipping around to face the she-cat she called her daughter. Willowfrost stared at her, eyes wide. "No- no!" she gasped. "I-I would never murder a kit!"

Frozenstar muttered something to himself, then spoke to the Clan as a whole. "Even if you aren't lying, I will not risk a battle in the Clan. They're too angry about these deaths, and to prevent this I can only do one thing about this: you must be punished."

Willowfrost opened her mouth to object. "But I didn't kill them. I found them-"

Not even her sister tried to defend her. Frozenstar went on. "I know," he meowed. "But, to protect you-to protect the Clan- "

"Then the Clan is full of liars!" Willowfrost yowled, panicked. Never, in her worst nightmares, had she dreamed that her Clan would turn against her. "Frozenstar-" Iciclefang leaned closer to the leader, her ice-blue eyes glittering with hostility. Frozenstar blinked and nodded.

"Willowfrost," he meowed, ignoring her, "from this moment on you are no longer a member of the Clan. If the Clan sees you after dawn, they are free to kill you."

Willowfrost opened her mouth to retort, but she could see that she was in no position to fight, especially not a whole Clan. "Fine," she hissed at the cats she had once called her Clanmates. Tigerstripe stared at her both defiantly and triumphantly and she stepped aside with a growl directed at her.

"I can't believe I thought you were a good cat," Stormclaw snarled at her.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way." She spoke throught clenched teeth, while all she wanted to do was rip out his fur. As she passed Shredpaw, she could see her sister's expression.

"Oh, Willowfrost," she whispered. "I'm so, so, sorry."

Willowfrost glared at her as well as Shredpaw . "Nice choice you two made out there."

"Do you think they would believe me? I didn't have a choice." Shredpaw nodded.

Willowfrost shrugged. "You had a choice, even if they didn't believe you." She turned her back on them and stalked away. "And I thought you had chosen me."

* * *

***A half moon later***

Willowfrost did not sleep well that night. Even when she did get to sleep, the she-cat had visited her again-Mistyspirit, was it?- and given her the same ominous warning.

"Willowfrost, the time has come when you can't trust even your own instincts," she had mewed. "I was wring not to tell you of this long ago when you were a kit."

"But- I haven't felt anything yet!" Willowfrost hissed. _I wish I could_.

"You will," Mistyspirit responded, her blue eyes narrowed. "I can't do anything else but warn you. Willowfrost it is your choice on what actions you make about what lies ahead. Willowfrost, if you don't listen, you will destroy your Clan."

"Leave me alone!" Anger boiled beneath her pelt. "You're not _my mentor_, so stop acting like you are! All you are is a stupid spirit of the Unknown! Leave me alone!"

To her surprise, the she-cat nodded, fading rather quickly, and Willowfrost found herself waking in a hollow tree stump with her paws kicking wildly at the makeshift nest.

_I have had it. I'm going to show Shredpaw that he always had_ a choice. Willowfrost crawled out of the tree and stalked towards the direction of camp.

..

**A Random POV:**

Nightsky jumped as footsteps sounded on the forest floor. Her heart pounded as she heard her sister's voice in the darkness.

"Nightsky, didn't Blackstorm ever teach you to scent anything?"

Her fur bristled. "Willowfrost, you know you can't do this to us. Leave us alone."

"Ha," her sister scoffed. "The Clan doesn't think so. _They_ think I'm , and did you say _us_? I was almost certain you were the only one here, not counting me."

"Willowfrost, they may be able to control where you live, but they can't control how you _think_!You're not an evil cat!" Nightsky hissed.

**Willowfrost's POV(same moment): **

"That's what you think!" Willowfrost hissed back. "Because you haven't been mistreated. I was. You were always_ here_, growing up in the sunshine and flowers with prey and water and whatnot. I grew up in the darkness without any light" the last part was a lie, she knew Hawkspirit had been trying to show her light but she had defied her "and it ate me alive. _Alone_," she hissed, "not you."

"If I was, I wouldn't let my feelings take control of the cat I was- and would still be, and is!" Nightsky retorted.

Anger blinded Willowfrost, and she took a lunge at her sister, claws outstretched, just as her sister rolled out if the way, terror showing in her eyes.

"You'll never do it," she panted.

"Oh really? _Who says I can't?!_ " Willowfrost leaped again, fury driving her, and hit her sister across the nose.

"Stop it!" Nightsky spat. Willowfrost ignored her and raked her claws down her flank. Nightsky opened her mouth to screech a warning.

"IceClan!Atta-"

Willowfrost covered her mouth, muffling her words. "Wouldn't you rather stop beings coward and fight? Be a _warrior_?"

"A warrior doesn't need to kill to win a battle," Nightsky insisted. "Didn't you learn anything from the warrior code?"

"Nothing that will help me get my revenge on you," snarled Willowfrost.

"_Revenge_?" Nightsky echoed. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You didn't defend me when Frozenstar was so eager to get me out of the Clan." Willowfrost curled her lip. "Does the word _betrayal_ ring back any memories?" _Is she really so d_ense_?_

Nightsky opened her mouth to object, but no words came out.

"You remember." Satisfied, Willowfrost pinned her to the ground. "Any last words?"

"Willowfrost!" She almost let go of Nightsky in her surprise. Shredpaw was standing in the barrier entrance, his eyes stretched wide with shock.

"What in StarClan's name do you think you're doing to her?" he gasped.

Willowfrost held his icy gaze steadily. "What does it look like?"

"Why don't you fight me?" he raged. "We were friends before _now_."

"I thought we were more than that!" she hissed. _So much betrayal.._

"Oh, we were so much more, friend," he snapped. "But Willowfrost, you were so _cold_, so _remote_. Your plunge into darkness there there led you to this dark path."

Without another word, she let go of Nightsky and jumped at him, raking her claws down his back and rolling him to the ground.

"Well, then, take this, _friend_!" She pinned him down, her claws scoring down his flank. He struck back with brutal accuracy despite being pinned down, winding her, and all she could do was stare dumbfounded into his face.

"You're not who you were when I knew you," he growled at her. Willowfrost glared down at him. "You had _a choice_, Shredpaw."

"Really?" he snapped, staring up at her. "Well, so did you! You could have remained the cat you _were _ when I met you, but _no.._you made the choice to take out your anger on the Clan!"

Anger took its toll yet again. "Say good bye to your Clan_mate, _Shredpaw!" she snarled, recovering from her shock, and slashed her claws across his throat.

His eyes widened, and he choked out his last words, "Nightsky.. Don't forget-" Willowfrost ripped at his throat, his back, everywhere she could get, hating Shredpaw, hating Nightsky, hating the entire _Clan_ for her exile. Nightsky's eyes widened, horrified as Shredpaw's wide gaze went blank and the light died from his eyes. Willowfrost ignored the blood pooling at her paws and was about to make a move on her sister, but before she could take a single step, Nightsky slammed into her side, grief and anger in her green gaze as she stared at her sister.

"You were my sister, my best friend, before this _darkness_ consumed you. I didn't want to do this Willowfrost. But I'm not going to let you hurt another of my Clanmates," she whispered, and Willowfrost felt a small speck of regret inside her being stirred up, "I could have helped you before any incidents happened. But it's too late for that. You never understood," she finished. It was then that Willowfrost understood- after she had done wrong, destroyed her chance,defied everything she had ever hoped for- it was then that she understood what Nightsky meant. She didn't try to fight back, didn't move a muscle- but opened her mouth and screamed. At what she had become. At what crime she had committed.

Nightsky blinked. "You killed him," she whispered, almost to herself, "now I kill you," and then, with a swing of her paw, hot agony seared across Willowfrost's belly, before she was truly consumed by darkness.

**A/N: That was a little bit less darker than I'd expected. BUT.. after all my hard work, you get a little job. Do you know what it is? See that little box below that says "Type your review here.."? Like it? Hate it? TYPE WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE CHAPTER THERE! Oh, and one more thing. See the box below it that says "post review- or, if you're a member, "Post review as _." Click it! You get a chapter for the Games of Darkness(when I'm finished) if you do! You know you want one!**

**Games of Darkness fans- Don't worry, I'll be back on the Games Of Darkness soon! just be patient! It's better to have to wait for a good chapter than no chapter at all! Really, you'll thank me for it!**


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